Hull FC 22-4 Wakefield: Chris Chester has work to do at Wildcats
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 18/03/16 11:47pm
Chris Chester got a first-hand look at the problems besieging his new Wakefield side as they were undone 22-4 at Hull FC on Friday night.
Chester moved in at Belle Vue earlier this week hoping to clean up some of the bad blood left by Brian Smith's shock departure, but has a real job on his hands to help the wounded Wildcats retain their Super League berth.
The former Hull player and Hull KR coach had said he would maintain a watching brief at the KC Stadium, but was an animated spectator throughout, leaving his spot at the top of the stand to head down to the touchline.
What bothered Chester was a combination of some haphazard defending, decision-making and some shocking misfortune, all of which allowed Hull to partly bury the memories of their 40-point drubbing at Widnes last week.
Coach Lee Radford will know, though, that with a punishing Easter programme ahead, further improvements are required.
Alongside coach-for-the-night Stuart Dickens, Chester started taking notes from the off but there was little he could write as prop Anthony England was carried off eight minutes in.
It was a blow Wakefield could have done without, as was Hull's 14th-minute opener as Mark Minichiello went through a gap for a first score of the season.
Wakefield's response was spirited, brought points and was led by two ex-Hull players.
First a fine run by Jacob Miller was ended by an unpunished high tackle, but Miller then looped a pass into the hands of Joe Arundel who did the rest from 15 metres out.
But Hull came back and two moments of fortune saw them go in 16-4 ahead at the break.
Minichiello looked like he had bombed a Carlos Tuimavave offload but managed to fashion a kick out of the loose ball and, when Wakefield and Craig Hall in particular did not react, he did, chasing it for a second of the night.
Then, as forgotten man Kirk Yeaman - on his first start of the year - went through without the ball as Frank Pritchard passed left, it appeared he would be pulled for obstruction.
No whistle came, though, and Curtis Naughton picked up an opening try for 2016.
The bad luck continued for Wakefield after the interval. Marc Sneyd's pass to Danny Washbrook looked comfortably forward but went undetected, allowing ex-Wildcat Washbrook to put Tuimavave in for a first try since round one.
Referee James Child was earning no praise from Chester or Dickens but Wakefield's lack of impact up front was hindering them as much as anything else.
As such they spent plenty of time in Hull territory but without causing any damage, allowing the home side to ease over the finishing line.
